2 Cocktail Pairings That Make Barbecue Pulled Pork Shine

Barbecue is a heavy meat-centric treat with many regional variations, and most barbecue joints around the U.S. offer a modest selection of cold beers to accompany a carnivorous feast. As refreshing as beer can be, cocktails offer classy and complex pairings that'll stand up to the robust flavors of smoked and sauced meats. Of course, different dishes call for specific cocktail pairings, so we consulted an expert for recommendations to go with pulled pork. Camille Parson Goldstein, co-founder of Muddling Memories, says she favors two different spirit-forward cocktails that make barbecue pulled pork shine.

"I would go with any whiskey or reposado tequila cocktail," Goldstein says. "Go spirit and booze forward as there is a lot of sweetness coming from the barbecue sauce in the pulled pork, so no shaken juicy drink needed. Think [an] old fashioned or a tequila negroni that lets the spirit shine with bitter undertones that complement the sugars in the sauce."

Fatty, smoky, and ultra-savory shredded pork elaborated with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce needs a cocktail that will balance the sweetness of the sauce and enhance the savory and smoky notes of the meat. Both negronis and old fashioneds are classic cocktails that consist of few ingredients and come together quickly. An old fashioned is a blend of smoky bourbon or spicy rye whiskey with sugar and bitters; a tequila negroni offers the same spicy, bittersweet profile to temper the sweet barbecue sauce and accentuate the pork.

We've got multiple pulled pork recipes to try with Camille Parson Goldstein's two cocktail pairings. For that matter we have different old fashioned recipes as well as 12 negroni variations. So, you can mix and match pairings depending on the flavor profiles of each respective recipe. If you're going with a Mexican pulled pork recipe like al pastor, slow cooker carnitas, or pork chili verde, then tequila is an obvious choice. So you can swap gin for a reposado tequila in a negroni swizzle with a dash of soda water to make it extra refreshing. For that matter, you can blend a tequila negroni with ice for a frozen negroni to balance the flavor and temperature of your pulled pork meal.

The smoky, bitter profile of this smooth old fashioned with bourbon would work well with this easy pulled pork recipe filled with brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. If you're up for the challenge of this apple cider smoked pulled pork, then you'll need an equally impressive smoky cocktail to pair with it. This smoked old fashioned with smoked simple syrup certainly fits the bill. You can double up on orange bitters or add a splash of orange juice to an old fashioned, using the citrus notes to complement this pineapple juice-infused Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich.